Los Angeles County
Biographies
CLIFFORD EDMOND CLINTON
Clifford Edmond Clinton, founder of
Clifton's (cafeteria), was born in Berkeley, California, August 3, 1900; the son of Edmond
Jackson and Gertrude (Hall) Clinton.
Student at grade school,
Berkeley, California, 1905-10; Evangel Mission, Chiu Hing,
China, 1910-12; Berkeley grade school for one year and Berkeley High School,
1912-1915.
When his mother died in 1915, Mr. Clinton
left high school to begin work in his father's cafeteria, becoming manager of
one of the cafeterias in 1910 and supervising manager of six cafeterias in
1925. With two partners, he bought
interest in 1927 in Clinton Cafeteria Company, becoming president and general
manager, San Francisco. In 1931 he went
to Los Angeles and began a new cafeteria.
Mr. Clinton has been chairman of Clifton's, Ltd., and later Clifton's Brookdale, Inc., since 1931.
Mr. Clinton was a member of the Los
Angeles County Grand Jury in 1937 and presented evidence on vice and gambling
rackets in Los Angeles. In 1937 he
organized and became chairman of Citizens Independent Vice
Investigating Committee, and later of Civic Committee, Inc. He was appointed a member of the committee to
investigate waste in the County General Hospital, 1936, which resulted in an
annual saving of $120,000.
He sponsored development of multi-purpose
food, with California Institute of Technology, joined by the California
Dehydrators Association, F. W. Boltz Corporation and
C. B. Gentry Company, 1943-46, this being sent in great quantities by UNRRA and
other relief agencies. Also founder and
president of Meals for Millions Foundation, Inc., dedicated to prevention of
starvation since 1946. Mr. Clinton is a
member of the National Restaurant Association and is a contributor to National
Restaurant magazine and Restaurant Management, 1925 to 1931. He is a Presbyterian.
During World War I, Mr. Clinton enlisted
as a private, advancing to sergeant, 363rd Tank Corps. In World War II he again enlisted as private
and advanced to first lieutenant with Office of Mess Supervision, Ft. Benning, Georgia, now food consultant to Office of
Quartermaster General, Liaison WFA on Food Conservation; Developing Post War
Project of 20,000 community center Food Service Units throughout the United
States to employ 350,000 associates.
Mr. Clinton married Nelda Mae Patterson on
September 7, 1920, and they have three children: Edmond Jackson II, Jean Marian
and Donald Harrison and Donald Harrison.
Home:
5005 Los Feliz Boulevard, Los Angeles 27, California.
Office:
648 South Broadway, Los Angeles 14, California.
Transcribed 10-27-14 Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: Eminent
Californians 1953, by Lee E. Johnson & C. W. Taylor. Pages 501-502, C. W. Taylor
Publ., Palo Alto, California, 1953.
© 2014 Marilyn R. Pankey.
GOLDEN NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES
BIOGRAPHIES